Volcano
by pansy1980
Summary: They had went for a small vacation together to Dorvan. The finale is now up!
1. Chapter 1

Volcano

They had went for a small vacation together to Dorvan. They went for a walk. She fell.

We had been together for nearly 3 months now. I was ecstatic when I had popped the question to her and she had said yes. She had been the one that encouraged me to go home and see my sister. I had been trying to change the subject for months, but Kathryn never let it go. She was sleeping on my shoulder when we beginning our decent. I smiled at her and looked out at the landscape that was once my home.

"Kathryn, we are here."

She stretched and curled back to the same spot. "Five more minutes mom."

I couldn't help but laugh. Even after years of having to get up early for Star fleet Academy classes, or having to get up early because of a Borg attack on Voyager, Kathryn still hated to get up early.

The shuttled hit the ground and rocked a bit, which Kathryn felt. She immediately sat up in her seat.

"It's ok Kathryn, we just landed."

She smiled at me and I couldn't resist kissing her. After all she was mine. And she was going to be mine forever.

We exited the craft, still holding hands. She survived her surroundings like a typical scientist, examining the trees, the rocks and event he dirt. And just as she was looking up at me she spotted it in the distance.

"Chakotay, is that a Volcano? You never told me that you had Volcano's on Dorvan."

I turned and looked over at it. I hadn't seen it in years, but it still looked the same.

"I guess I didn't mention it because it was the last place that my father and I went hiking together. There was a small path that circled the rim of the volcano, and my father thought that I would enjoy the view. In reality it was a wonderful trip, but I was young, and I told my father that I hated it."

"Could we go together Chakotay?"

I should have said no. Or that the hike was long and hard. But I didn't.


	2. Chapter 2

Volcano pt2

Author's note- This section is dedicated to the person who gave a"wonderful feedback" post that I will address right now.

The answer to your question is no, I am not trying to give attention to myself, or take it away from

anyone.

Your thoughts on my writing are purely your opinions and nothing more. Although I have to say that someone who has such harsh criticism, about other people's writing, certainly has written a plethora of stories! LOL

And now on to the story! Enjoy( or don't enjoy)

The next morning Kathryn and Chakotay headed toward the path that would lead them to the Volcano. They were both quiet this morning. In fact even the tropical birds were quiet this morning. Chakotay found himself concentrating on the rugged path before him, thinking about his father occasionally. Kathryn on the other hand, was strictly concentrating on the various plant life that lived along the path.

They had been walking in silence for almost an hour, when they reached a small bridge. Chakotay looked behind him and realized that Kathryn was far behind him. She was seated on the ground looking at a large blue leaf.

"Kathryn are you ok?"

Kathryn didn't respond quickly. She was completely mesmerized by the soft velvet texture of the leaf. In all of her years of research she had never seen anything like it. She had been on the other side of the galaxy on hundreds of different planets, and she had never seen something so unique, so beautiful.

When she heard his voice the second time she smiled and looked over at where he was.

"How did you get so far away so quickly Chakotay?"

"I have long legs!"

Kathryn laughed as she got up from the ground and began trekking over to him. "This place is so lovely Chakotay, how could you ever leave such a beautiful home?"

He didn't respond until she was right next to him. "When I left this place Kathryn, my father and I were not on the best terms. He told me that I could never come back to the family after I left. When I did return, he was dead and my whole planet was in ruin. My sister told me that it was only a few years ago that Star fleet transported new plants and seeds here. Before that it was just a desert."

Kathryn tried to picture what it would be like if Indiana were ever a desert, or if she had lost everything she had ever grown up with. The thought sadden her, and Chakotay could sense her discomfort.

"Kathryn, it was a long time ago, don't give it another thought. And besides if it never happened I would have never been in the Badlands when we first met."

She accepted his hug, but couldn't help but shed a few tears. He let her cry on his chest for a little while. He knew that she was still uneasy about their relationship. He had really torn her apart when he dated Seven briefly. The sting was still affecting her, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make some of the pain go away.

When Kathryn stopped crying she noticed the bridge next to them.

"How old is this bridge?"

"Older then both of us put together Kathryn. But my sister said that it has recently been fixed. Apparently some people are finding Dvoran quite the tourist attraction these days. The foundation committee has been spending money everywhere on the planet, trying to get more people to come."

"Well at least there is a semi happy ending to your story Chakotay."

He gave her a dimpled smile, and for a moment Kathryn was completely lost in it. She had forgotten how good he really looked when he smiled. She hadn't seen him smile that way since she had accepted his marriage proposal.

"We should be at the top in another hour Kathryn."


	3. Chapter 3

Volcano

pt3

I'm sorry but I have to respond to this mile long post I received! LOL

(This will be the last time I promise!)

I don't even know what to say... I read it and almost fell out of my chair laughing!

EXCUSE ME! I think maybe your should check your previous post.

No wonder you changed your profile who would want to talk with you! Good Grief!

I'm jealous of you? The only people who ever say that are the jealous ones!

And if I did give you a vague review(I don't remember doing that, but then again you have written so many stories how could I forget) at least I don't go around insulting people!

I believe your line was- What is this crap anyway? It sounds like an 8 year old wrote it while playing with her dolls- Those are your words, not mine. And hey if I am 8 and did write these stories. I'm a lot smarter than you when you were 8!

And you don't like the politics here? Sounds like someone that can't get along with anyone! So far you are the only one that I have had any problems with! It really sounds like you have a personal problem with me, not with my writing. I never said that I was a writer. I am an actress, and unlike you I can take criticism and I don't have attack people personally. If you don't like my stories don't read them! TADA- problem solved!

Good luck with all those stories of yours!

P.S- I would really like to see this review that I gave you!

Prt 3

Kathryn and Chakotay reached the top of the volcano later that afternoon. Both of them were looking over the edge, when Chakotay heard a hissing sound.

"Did you hear that?"

Kathryn was about to answer him when the ground began to shake. She fell to the ground, but the ground was shifting so violently, that it was actually moving her closer to the edge.

Chakotay tried to get to her, but he was already sliding down the side of the mountain. He tried one last time to maneuver through the sand to get to her. And then he heard her scream, and she was gone.

A few hours later, Chakotay's eyes opened. He didn't remember much, his body felt scorched. He tried to get up, but his body refused. He tried to speak but his throat was dry. He felt a hand on his, his head turned and he saw the face of his sister.

"Chakotay, you are awake, how do you feel?"

"Strange. I don't feel like myself."

"I can understand that. When they transported you to the hospital you had millions of sand lacerations on your skin. They said that some of them are going to be permanent. You took quite a fall brother."

He was about to ask his sister about Kathryn. And she must have sensed it, because she took his hand again.

"They have conducted many searches Chakotay. But it has been a week, since the accident and they have found nothing. I heard that they are going to call off the search tomorrow. I'm sorry."

Chakotay grumbled something under his breath. But the tears were just beginning to form.

Chakotay was released from the hospital a few days later. He was still a bit weak. The first time that he actually looked in a mirror he understood what his sister meant about the scars, caused by the sand. He didn't have any on his face, but his arms were covered with thin deep lines.

As he watched his reflection in the mirror he cursed at himself. Even thou he knew that the accident hadn't been his fault, a part of him felt responsible. Perhaps if he had never mentioned the path to her the lead up to the Volcano, she would still be with him. Or if they had simply slept in that morning, they would have been in bed when the accident would have happened.

He heard a knock on the door. For a moment, he thought that he might hear Kathryn's voice. But it was only his sister reminding him that he shuttle was going to be leaving soon. He sighed and took one more look at his reflection.

He returned to the bedroom, and finished packing. If she was still alive the two of them would be getting married in a week. But she wasn't coming back. And he was going to be alone, for the rest of his life.

Chakotay said goodbye to his sister and headed toward the airport. It wasn't a long walk, a little more than a mile. He didn't want to look back. He knew that if he did, he would see that damn volcano. And the only thing at this point that he didn't want to see was that damn volcano. That damn volcano had taken everything away from him.

He had just finished checking in when he heard a familiar sound. It was the same pitch that he had heard just before the earth had begun to shake. He put his thoughts aside, and tired to block out the sound. He was not going to be a prisoner of his memories.

He was just boarding the shuttle, when the earth began to shake. He dropped to the ground, like he had done before. He closed his eyes, waiting for the shaking to stop.

He heard his sisters voice. He opened his eyes.

"Chakotay, you need to come now."

"My shuttle leaves in a few minutes. I can't miss it. I have to get out of here."

"Chaktoay,"

Her sister had a look of shock on her face.

"Kathryn's at the house."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Volcano

Finale

prt 4

Chakotay's jaw dropped. He put his hand against the shuttle to steady himself. He began to shake, and for a moment he thought that another earthquake was starting. When he realized that he was the only one shaking, he sat immediately.

Then like a sudden shuttle crash the words that his sister had spoken started to sink in. Chakotay looked up at her, took a deep breath, swallowed and spoke.

"How?" It wasn't anything profound, but it was the only thing that he could come up with. All the words in his vocabulary had vanished. Even breathing was a hard thing to do.

"I don't know Chakotay, I heard the doorbell ring, I went to answer it and she was just standing there. I could hardly believe it either. The only thing that she said, was that she was tired. She fell on the couch and then I ran here to get you."

Somehow he got the strength to stand up. The two of them slowly walked to the house together. Just before they both entered, Chakotay took a deep breath. A part of him was uncertain if she would really be there, of if his sister had simply imagined Kathryn.

He slid the door open, and stepped inside. He realized that his eyes were closed, but he was also afraid to open them. He was afraid that she wouldn't be there if he opened his eyes. He closed his eyes tighter, and clenched his fists, and then opened his eyes.

Kathryn was on the couch talking in her sleep. He ran over to her and knelled next to her. Her voice was a tad higher than it normally was. She said his name, while sleeping and he knelled next to her and began to listen.

"_Chakotay, Many years ago, before your ancestors lived here, this place was scared. It belonged to a single race, that worshiped the plants in the forest. The trees were gods, and they were never used for anything except to aide in prayers._

_Years later a great war occurred and all of the ancestors were thrown into the volcano, by a neighboring tribe. The tribe was brutal, and treated women as slaves for the colony. As the last ancestor was thrown into the volcano, he said a prayer, and covered his forehead with a scared blue leaf. The leaf was considered to have healing properties to anyone who ever found it and touched it._

_While on the path, I saw a beautiful blue leaf, the only thing that I remember is how soft it felt against my skin. I was memorized by its extreme beauty. _

_After I fell over the side of the volcano, I began to loose consciousness. The only thing I remember is a small pool of water that was next to me, and that I was covered with a large blue leaf. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep. _

_I felt a rumble underneath me, and I stirred. A shaking began, and my eyes, began to open slowly. When I became aware of my surroundings I noticed that I was on the path leading toward the volcano. I was laying just before the bridge, where I had first spotted the unique blue leaf. But when I searched for it with my eyes, I noticed that it was gone. I got up slowly and began walking back to the house."_

Slowly Kathryn's eyes began to open.

I turned to my sister. She was in tears.

It was years later, and several children later, that I finally told Kathryn the story that my parents had told me. My parents had always told us that the final ancestor that was tossed into the volcano had made a silent prayer to help those who needed help. As kids we thought the story was a fantasy, something to keep us occupied while mom made dinner.

I had forgotten about that story, until the day Kathryn returned to me. We returned to Dorvan with the kids when they were older, and walked down the same path, toward the volcano.

Kathryn didn't say anything but I knew that she was secretly looking for that leaf she had seen years ago. I smiled at her, and held her close, while the kids ran up the path to the bridge.

The End

* Thanks for all of the feedback! To my loyal readers! Thanks for everything!


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